The Multiracial Promise: Harold Washington's Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan's America

by Gordon K. Mantler

In April 1983, a dynamic, multiracial political coalition did the unthinkable, electing Harold Washington as the first Black mayor of Chicago. Washington's victory was unlikely not just because America's second city was one of the nation's most racially balkanized but also because it came at a time when Ronald Reagan and other political conservatives seemed resurgent. Washington's initial win and reelection in 1987 established the charismatic politician as a folk hero. It also bolstered hope among Democrats that the party could win elections by pulling together multiracial urban voters around progressive causes. Yet what could be called the Washington era revealed clear limits to electoral politics and racial coalition building when decoupled from neighborhood-based movement organizing.

Drawing on a rich array of archives and oral history interviews, Gordon K. Mantler offers a bold reexamination of the Harold Washington movement and moment. Taking readers into Chicago's street-level politics and the often tense relationships among communities and their organizers, Mantler shows how white supremacy, deindustrialization, dysfunction, and voters' own contradictory expectations stubbornly impeded many of Washington's proposed reforms. Ultimately, Washington's historic victory and the thwarted ambitions of his administration provide a cautionary tale about the peril of placing too much weight on electoral politics above other forms of civic action—a lesson today's activists would do well to heed.

366 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2023

Reviews

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in Chicago and although this book is talking about the mayoral race in the 1980's - this book is extremely relevant and timely today. The subtitle of the book is "Harold Washington's Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan's America," and many of the key political figures discussed in this book are still active today in our city's politics (for example Jesus "Chuy" Garcia -currently US Representative but recently ran for mayor in the primary. As we face a contentious mayoral race on April 4, many of the tactics and dog whistles used against Harold Washington are at play here again 40 years later against the Black candidate, Brandon Johnson. Not only does this well-researched book capture the history and dynamics of building coalitions across many diverse communities (Black, immigrant, Latinx, LGBTQ+, National Organization for Women, etc.), it also teaches us an important lesson -- that elections alone do not drive the needed change -- grassroots activism still needs to be ever present and vocal. This is particularly urgent given the low voter turn-out in elections over the last 40 years and particularly with young people. This book is for anyone who is interested in Chicago Politics but also anyone who wants to learn about coalition-building and the importance of grass-roots activism to drive social change and justice. I highly recommend this book!

[John Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish it went more in depth on actions as mayor and political results.